Women accounted for 55% of the total number of participants at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach said at the forum’s closing press conference.
According to her, the forum brought together 11 heads of state, nine high-ranking guests, 88 ministers, 76 deputy ministers, and 130 mayors, Caliber.Az reports per local media.
“WUF13 featured 579 sessions, and 260 exhibitors, innovators, and solution providers presented their developments at the Expo, attracting over 74,000 visits. The forum was covered by 865 media representatives throughout the week,” Rossbach said.
She emphasized that such high participation rates reflect the urgency of pressing needs related to urban development.
“Urban development requires solutions. The topic ‘Who shelters the world: safe, sustainable cities and communities’ is extremely relevant now. We meet at a time when the global housing crisis has reached unprecedented proportions, and billions of people are facing housing affordability issues, displacement, informal housing, climate vulnerability, and declining health,” she said.
Rossbach added that addressing the housing crisis was one of the key priorities identified during the forum.
“Recognizing that billions of people still lack adequate housing and the need for urgent systemic measures that go beyond piecemeal approaches is a top priority. Rebalancing housing systems and financing mechanisms is also a priority.
Equally important is strengthening capacity to implement large-scale solutions, integrating proven practices into public policy and investment — from the modernization of informal settlements to climate-resilient housing and community-based approaches — and strengthening local initiatives and partnerships,” she said.
By Vafa Guliyeva
